We Have Yellow Walls!

Ben started on the nursery yesterday! Well, actually, we started on the nursery several weeks ago by cleaning the room out, but the actual decorating began yesterday. Here are pictures of the yellow walls. I will post more pics as the furniture arrives and decorations are put up.

25 Week Check-Up

My appointment today went really well!!! My blood pressure was completely normal...122/77! Praise the Lord! My doctor was elated! I had a glucose test done. I was not looking forward to drinking the sugary stuff, but it really wasn't that bad, and since I had not eaten in the 12 hours prior to that, it really woke Emily up! I was sitting in the exam room waiting on the doctor, and I leaned back and just watched my stomach move and twitch and jump in every direction. She was bouncing off the walls! When the doctor came in, we listened to her heart and boy was it beating loud and fast! The doctor said, "Yep, that's the sugar!" Emily and I are doing perfectly fine. Everything looks normal. We should get the results for the glucose test in the next 2 weeks. I see my doctor again in 4 weeks. We'll have another ultrasound done this time at the hospital's imaging center, so hopefully, we'll get some good pictures of Emily! Then after that visit I start going every 2 weeks! I can't believe how fast the time is passing by! As I was setting up my next appointment, one of the nurses asked me if I had registered with the hospital. I of course said no, and she instructed me that I needed to do this soon. So, before I left, I went downstairs and registered for labor & delivery! The hospital has our names and is expecting us in March! It's going to be here so soon, and I get more and more excited every day! Anyway, just wanted to share that my appointment was great...14 weeks, 5 days and counting down!!!

Emily Bly Posson

Well, we've decided on a name! Emily Bly Posson. I think it's quite lovely. Emily is a name that Ben has liked since day 1 and one I wasn't ecstatic about at first but has since grown on me. Bly is Ben's Grandma's middle name. My mother-in-law (soon to be called Grams) gave me a book of Ben's family geneology to look at while we were there at Thanksgiving. We saw Ben's Grandma's name and fell in love with Bly immediately. It's not a name you hear every day and some people look at us weird when we say it, but I absolutely adore it and think it goes really well with Emily.

It's been almost 8 weeks since I last posted pictures of the growing belly. So, it's overdue and here we go...these are at 24 weeks, 5 days pregnant!

As you can see, a lot of growing has happened in 8 weeks time! :) When people ask me how far along I am and I tell them, most say I don't look big enough to be that far along. My reply is "That's funny, 'cause I feel like Shamu!" I have been struggling a bit with the body image. I've put on about 20 pounds so far which is about normal I think, but it doesn't make you feel very good when you see a girl standing in line at Freebird's who is probably farther along than you and she looks like a supermodel except for her protuding stomach. I literally came close to crying...I felt so big compared to her!

Anyway, enough about that. Ben finally moved the desk that was in Emily's room into our formal living area a few weeks ago with the help of our friend, Kevin. I've got a few more small things to get out of the room, and I still have to clean out her closet. Once that's done, Ben will get started painting...hopefully the week after Christmas! I'm very excited about getting her room in order! I think I'll be spending my quiet times in there once it's put together! :)

We registered at Babies-R-Us this past Saturday. THAT was an adventure! I've never seen so much stuff in all my life. While searching the aisles for cloth diapers, Ben said, "For someone so small, she sure does need a lot of crap!" It took us 4 hours to find and scan everything, but now we can say it's done! It was intimidating and kind of scary since it made me realize even more how much I don't know what I'm doing, but I know I'll have a lot of help from Mem, Grams, and Grannon (my mom, my mother-in-law, and our pastor's wife)!

My next appointment is this coming Thursday, the 17th. I will be tested for gestational diabetes at this one...let's pray I don't have that! I really don't think I do, but still, let's pray! :) I think that's all that's been going on in the past 4 weeks. Time has been flying by and our sweet Emily will be here before we know it! I can't hardly wait!

"Peanut" is a "She-nut"!!!

I know, I know...I'm 2 weeks behind on a new post! About 2 weeks ago, we went to the doctor for another check up and an ultrasound. My blood work from the previous visit came back, and all is good. My blood pressure at this appointment was SO MUCH better...my doctor was impressed! Praise God! And we found out our little one is a GIRL! :)

I would normally post ultrasound pictures at this point, but we really didn't get any good pics this time. Ben and I are not sure what my doctor was printing exactly. One was the top of her head (not exciting), one was a monitor of the heartbeat (which was 156 bpm, but again, not exciting), one was something we can't identify, and the last one she printed was supposed to be of her face, but just as the doctor hit print, Baby Girl moved her head back and put her arm up in front of her face. So, her head was too far back for the ultrasound to pick it up, and all you see is a little forearm and a fist (not exciting). So, sorry, no pictures this time!

We have not yet decided on a name. I thought we were down to 2 names, but as we were driving home from the last visit, I was informed by my husband that we had to start all over in the naming process! So, we've narrowed it down to 17 possible names so far. I know that sounds like a lot, but it's actually quite a short list compared to the thousands we started with! We should have a definite name picked out in the next few weeks!

I'm pretty sure we've decided on a pastel yellow for the nursery walls. The furniture will be black, and the bedding and decor will be several bright, bold colors (lime green, red, dark pink, blue, yellow). I've never been a big fan of baby pink, so we're kind of going neutral with the decor. We will be registering for all the goods in a few weeks (when we have time...Christmas time is a busy time...sheesh!). And we'll start having baby showers late January and into February. I'm getting very excited about the whole nesting process!!! :)

So, anyway, things are going really well. The baby is growing right on schedule and looks to be healthy. She is very active (especially at night, much to her mother's chagrin)! Please keep us all in your prayers, and I'll post again after my next doctor appointment.

"I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman to the world." - Jeremiah 1:5

17 Week Check Up

There's really not much new to report. The 17 week visit was a short one. What took the longest was waiting on the doctor to come to my exam room! She listened to the heartbeat again. Gave me a little scare because it took her about a full minute to find it, but once she did, it was steady and strong at 140 beats per minute! The next visit will be at 21 weeks. I am scheduled for an ultrasound. The doctor will be taking measurements, checking to make sure everything is developing well, and looking for little boy or little girl parts! Yippee! Can't wait to get started on the nursery!

I seem to be staying healthy and am not having any serious issues with the pregnancy. The only thing my doctor is concerned about is that when I go in for a visit, my blood pressure sky rockets from anxiety. It's been high every time I've gone, and between the 13 week and 17 week marks, she had me monitor it. While at home, my blood pressure is completely normal, but it's something about checking on the status of my unborn child that makes me nervous. So, I spent some time last night praying about giving things over to Him. Whether we like it or not, worry is a sin. It's a trust and control issue. I've always been a worrier, and I've always been a control freak when it comes to my life. I think He's trying to teach me that I don't have control over anything whether I deceive myself into thinking I do or not. He is in control, and thank goodness for that! I found a verse last night that helps calm me and will be something I recite when I feel anxiety coming on. "Let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body, you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful." - Colossians 3:15. I've been broken, and sometimes that's the only way He can get through to us. It's a little embarassing to admit to such an immature issue, but I need people on my team encouraging me and praying for me. So, for all you who are regular prayers, please lift "Peanut" and me up, and ask that I lay my fears and worries at the foot of the cross and actually leave them there! :) Love to all!

Tummy Tracker Update

These pics are at 16 weeks, 6 days pregnant.

I called my doctor a few weeks ago to find out what to expect at the next visit. I am not scheduled for an ultrasound, so we will have to wait until the 21 week visit to find out boy or girl. I was a little bummed, but oh well, we've waited this long...what's a few more weeks?

If there's anything new to post, I'll give another update after my appointment on Wednesday.

13 Week Visit

Ben and I went to see the doctor again yesterday. No ultrasound or exam was done so I don't have any new pictures of "Peanut" to post, but we did get to hear the heartbeat. She monitored it for about 2 minutes, said she was picking up both my heart rate and the baby's, but all I could hear was mine. AND THEN WE HEARD...whoosh, whoosh, whoosh going 90 to nothing and we knew that was our little one! :) She monitored it for about 3 minutes total and said it wavered between 150-160 beats per minute which is a good strong heartbeat! If you believe in old wives tales, this heart rate would mean we're having a girl. But I don't believe in any of them, so we'll just have to wait and see. We're really hoping that at the next visit (17 weeks) we'll get to have an ultrasound, "Peanut" will be in a good position, and we'll be able to find out boy or girl! Well, that's all there is in baby news! I'll update again in a few weeks with another pic of the belly.

Another Look at the Belly...

This is at 12 weeks, 2 days. The belly has definitely grown since the last pic at almost 9 weeks. I'm going to have to buy some maternity pants this weekend as my jeans and work pants no longer fit. Yay for new clothes! And yes, those are Halloween pajama pants I have on...I'm getting into the fall season a little early.

We have another doctor visit this coming Wednesday, the 23rd. We're very excited because we should get to hear the heartbeat and get another shot of "Peanut!" I'll post another update after that visit.

Look How Much I've Grown!

All went well at the doctor visit yesterday. My blood work, weight, and blood pressure all look good. We got another couple of pictures of "Peanut" except he/she doesn't look much like a peanut anymore. Here's the ultrasound...I've got a head, body, arms, and legs!!!

I'm kind of disappointed in how small these ultrasound pics are once I upload them even though I choose the largest image size. Anyway, you'll have to squint! I labeled the first image with body parts. The second is the same image just without labels. At 6 weeks, 1 day, he/she was 5 mm long. Yesterday at 9 weeks, 1 day, he/she was 26 mm long! "Peanut" grew 5 times his/her size in 3 weeks! That is so amazing to me! My next visit is in 4 weeks, and the doctor says we should finally be able to hear the baby's heartbeat by then! Also, I'd forgotten to post when our due date is...March 30, 2010!

"The Lord called me before my birth; from within the womb He called me by name...He said to me, "You are my servant, Israel, and you will bring me glory." - Isaiah 49:1,3

Belly Pic!

As promised to Katie, here's a belly pic at 8 weeks, 5 days. There's really not much to show, but I promise I'm not pushing it out nor has my belly always poked out over my pants! :) I'll try to add a new pic every few weeks so my little sister in California won't miss me getting bigger!

We have another doctor appointment this coming Wednesday, the 26th. She's going to do another ultrasound, so I'll post "Peanut's" 2nd picture in a few days!

We're Pregnant!

Ok, so at the time of the last post on June 18, I knew Ben and I would soon try to become pregnant. What I didn't know is how fast it would happen! We have not told extended family and friends that we're pregnant because it's so early (7 weeks). And I haven't told anyone about this blog yet, but the family and friends I will tell about it might be interested to read about things that went on at the beginning of the pregnancy. We had our first ultrasound on August 5 (6 weeks, 1 day pregnant). The doctor said everything looked normal and the baby was the appropriate size for how far along I was. So, good news there! I have been feeling OK...nausea is off and on. Vomiting is very intermittent...usually only happens when I have gone several hours without eating. The most troublesome thing I'm experiencing right now is the fatigue...I'm so tired I can barely keep my eyes open and my head off my desk at work! Hopefully, it will just be a few more weeks until I have the spurt of energy everyone talks about in the 2nd trimester!

Anyway, the Lord has blessed us! I was shocked at how soon He blessed us, but everything happens according to His perfect timing. It has taken some time for both Ben and me to get over the anxiety of how our lives are about to change, but we are trusting that God has it under control even if we feel out of control! We are overjoyed and cannot wait to meet "Peanut" Posson! :)

Here is the ultrasound. It's kind of small, but if you look closely, you can see little "Peanut" on the top left side of the amniotic sack (the black kidney-shaped thing). There are 2 x's on either end of "Peanut". That was the doctor taking measurements.

When I look at these pictures I am in awe of the Lord! He knew little "Peanut" before time began, and He loves him/her more than Ben or I ever could!

"What is the price of five sparrows? A couple of pennies? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to Him than a whole flock of sparrows." Luke 12:6-7

For some reason, I felt it necessary to start a blog. I'm kinda bored right now. But I think in the next year or so our parents, grandparents, and close friends might enjoy watching the Posson family grow. Right now it's just Ben, me, and Duncan...